Shifter Kart? Anybody have one?

[cravej]

I'm thinking about getting one as a cheaper alternative to autocrossing the WRX. Does anybody here run one? I'm just looking for some guidance for a newbie.

[S4toSTI]

I was on the kick for one for like a month, dibs on your seat if you make the rex a street car.

[TehWagon]

shifter kart... is that the really fast type of go-kart? not sure... talk to brandon / 'demonicbird00' on here... he races go-karts and would probably be a wealth of knowledge, if in fact that's what your asking about.

[96s14]

I know a guy taht does, i will point him your way

[den9]

i dont have one but i know things about them, look on ebay, they r about 6 grand for a used one

[SilverTurboRidin]

someone i know just made one...used a 600 cc street bike motor...thing is wicked

[Demonicbird00]

you cant just buy a shifter and go to the races, you need a class 1 liscence. which requires at lest 1 year of experience in karts.

check out
www.woodbridgekartclub.org -good info site, club i race in
www.worldkarting.com
www.ekartingnews.com -good forums

a used shifter will be a min of $3k in good condition.

mite wanna start out w/ just a sprint kart w/ a 100cc yamaha engine, they can get upto 90mph or so, sintrifical(spelling) clutch

lemme know i can get you even more if need. plus a ride in one

-brandon

[Demonicbird00]

Originally Posted by SilverTurboRidin

someone i know just made one...used a 600 cc street bike motor...thing is wicked

btw, you cant race that at any functioned race, in the WKA the largest cc motor allowed in the unlimited class is 250 for a 2 stroke and 450 for a 4 stroke.

[cravej]

Thanks everyone,

Right now, I am trying to learn about the different classes, I've read through the SCCA's rules for the F125 class about autocrossing one, because that's where I will start out. I'll probably autocross it to get some experience and then try one of the smaller road courses like raceway park. I am leaning towards a 125cc shifter and I'm figuring on spending 4-6k to start out.

Some random questions for brandon:
-which classes use front brakes?
-how much would a new cart cost?
-do you wear a rib protector?
-what is your racing schedule? I'd like to come out and watch.
-is there any good karting magazines?
-can you recommend other local tracks or schools?

[TehWagon]

this is Brandon

1. all shifter classes,enduros,and 2 cycle sprints have fronts and rear brakes. the briggs classes dont use front brakes all that much.

2.a brand new 125 shifter race ready could be a min of 6k. best bet to buy a used one,alot of ppl do that karts arent beat to hell like cars are.

3.you can wear a rib protector, its not manditory. the protection thats required is, helmet 2000 SNELL rating or newer,driving suit or leather jacket and pants,and gloves. in Sprint karts its manditory to have a neck brace also.

4. the enduro series ie. woodbridge kart club races once a month 4 races at Summit Point and 1 race at VIR. if you run the World Karting National Enduro Series. If you want to run a local sprint series sprint track they most of time run every other weekend. http://www.woodbridgekartclub.com/in...249&Itemid=113 .

5. World Karting Magazine

6.Chestertown Speedway in MD. Flemington Speedway in NJ. Sandy Hook speedway in MD.

check out the link i gave earlier you can go to the classifieds and check out whats for sale. i dunno about SCCA but like i said earlier you cant just get a shifter kart and go racing, you need experience in karts, thats just the rules and any club will say the same thing. i just dont want you buy a shifter and then wont be able to race it, plus you wont be able to handle the power from them. im not puting you down or anything, it would be like jumping into a 9 sec car after you be running a 13 sec car.

geared properly for a drag strip they could run a low 11 sec pass.

-Brandon

[cravej]

Originally Posted by TehWagon

check out the link i gave earlier you can go to the classifieds and check out whats for sale. i dunno about SCCA but like i said earlier you cant just get a shifter kart and go racing, you need experience in karts, thats just the rules and any club will say the same thing. i just dont want you buy a shifter and then wont be able to race it, plus you wont be able to handle the power from them. im not puting you down or anything, it would be like jumping into a 9 sec car after you be running a 13 sec car.

-Brandon

Thanks again brandon,

SCCA Solo doesn't have any license requirements. You don't have to be a member or have any experience. The safety requirements are a full faced helmet, and leather or some abrasion resistant jacket and a neck brace. But all of the people I talked to about autocrossing a kart recommended the rib protector, because most autocross lots are pretty bumpy. My main interest right now would be autocrossing one, but I want to make sure that the cart will fit into some other clubs class if I persue wheel to wheel racing. I know I can't just jump right in, but I'm very interested in learning.

Can you tell me how you got into the enduro's? Did you start with sprint races? Did you start really young? (I'm 27 and I've been autocrossing for five years.)

[TehWagon]

i started racing when i was 11 im 24 now. started out in sprint karts and then moved to the enduros ie laydown karts. my dad has raced since the 70s and my best friends grandfather has raced since karting started in the late 50s.

when i race my dads spprint kart, i dont use the rib protector, its to blulky me. in the enduros, when i was on the straight you could only see half of my helmet, thats how low i was in the kart.

-brandon

[cravej]

So I should start with a used kt100 and a wet clutch? And start attending practice days at a local sprint track? And a kart driving school, if I can find one on the east coast. I found some good ones in california, arizona and nevada...

Then after lots of seat time, reconsider switching to a shifter? The SCCA only has one kart class which allows 125cc shifters, so any starter kart won't be competitive in there.

The rotax and TaG karts sound convenient with the electric start. This is all a lot more complicated than I originally thought, but I'm doing my homework.

[Demonicbird00]

yeah the TAG is also in the catigory as the shifter. well in the local clubs anyway. if you ran the national circut you could run TAG. thats what my dad has that i race from time to time now.

yes your best bet and all around choice for now is the kt100. great learning and still really fast. the only practice days are on a race weekend. a year would give you seat time you need. which would be anywhere from 5 weekends to as many other events you choose to go to.

heres the seat time for 1 weekend. say your entered into 2 classes.
friday practice- about 2 hrs total
sat- 3 practice rounds @ about 15 min a piece. 1 race 30 min
sun- 3 practice rounds @ about 15 min a piece. 1 race 30 min

hope that helps keep looking and learning, you see its alot more then just a kart and driving. theres over 50 different classes in a weekend

-brandon

[moorefire]

I raced 80cc and 125cc shifters in local clubs and SKUSA for a few years before I got out of it.

It really is best to start with a KT100. They're great motors and you'll end up spending a lot less than a shifter. They always have plentey of entries in their classes, so you'll always have plenty of people to race with. And you'll learn faster when you start out slower. When I was racing shifters I used to smoke middle aged novices with 125cc shifters with my 80cc because they jumped right into shifters and were in way over their head.

BTW, Flemington got demolished. It was a cool track but it was way too dangerous for a 125 shifter IMO

www.ovrp.com
^Best kart track in the north east if u ask me, they also run a kart school there on fridays run by this dude mike dotty who I used to race with. He's fast as hell and should be an excellent teacher, I'm not sure if they use shifters though

there are a bunch of other nice ones in NY state too (which draw good shifter fields) EX: Batavia near buffalo, Westhampton on long island, ect...
http://www.motorsport.com/news/artic...D=90403&FS=WKA

when I raced (about 5-10 years ago) there wasn't anything worth while for shifters in NJ, since NJ hates motorsports and pennsyltucky is the land of quarter midgets and other dirt trackers. The kart track at beaver run is pretty nice, but I'm not sure how big their fields are.

ohh yea, almost forgot about the kart races at englishtown, I think most of the flemington locals ended up there


also, I'm selling my old 80cc honda top kart, I'm just gathering all the spare parts and crap now

[Demonicbird00]

morefire.... nice to see a fellow karter around here.

the shifter seen has prolly tripled since you gotten out of it. did you ever make it down to summit point?

-brandon

[moorefire]

Originally Posted by Demonicbird00

morefire.... nice to see a fellow karter around here.

the shifter seen has prolly tripled since you gotten out of it. did you ever make it down to summit point?

-brandon

Yea same to you man

Nah I never made it to summit point. the only serious track I raced at was pocono. Pocono sucks, and it was still crazy fun, so I bet summit point and VIR and insane.

[adamkob32]

Not to rain on the parade Jeff but I thought Shifter Karts were illegal and considered dangerours for solo 2 competition. There was a member in the Central PA Region trying to get the sanctioning to run the shifter karts at their events, and I don't think they succeded.

I forget exactly what that Kart was down at Ripken on Sunday. Was that a Shifter Kart, or just a plain jane go-cart or something? I never really paid much attention to them because it aggravated me and generally slows the event down for everyone.

--Adam

[moorefire]

Originally Posted by adamkob32

Not to rain on the parade Jeff but I thought Shifter Karts were illegal and considered dangerours for solo 2 competition. There was a member in the Central PA Region trying to get the sanctioning to run the shifter karts at their events, and I don't think they succeded.

haha yea good ole scca. How the hell is anything in solo dangerous? [/sarcasm]

but seriously, I wouldn't get a shifer to race solo. Mabey if you were in CA or FL where there are more entries, but around here its prolly pointless.

Which is why me and brandon were tryin to steer you twards club racing a yamaha KT100. You'll have more fun, and learn a lot more about racecraft than u can dodging cones.

[Spoolin81TSI]

I know a guy who has one, and for like 2 grand for sale, I am pretty sure it runs on alcohol though. Let me ask him and get back to you.